Thursday, March 28, 2013

Rory C. Keel: Working for You

Rory C. Keel did the research for writers who need a target length for a particular project. His article, Word Count, published on The Wordsmith Six's blog, gives statistics fiction writers should be aware of. The list taped to our computers can remind us to write tight.

Mr. Keel is a member and past president of Panhandle Professional Writers. Learn more about him at www.roryckeel.com.

Word Count

by

Rory C. Keel

As writers, it’s easy
to become absorbed in our writing. We are the defenders of our plot and
characters, sometimes to a fault. We create new worlds and imaginary realms
where the impossible becomes possible, where truth and justice prevail and love
conquers all.

But then there’s
reality.

When we pitch our
project to an agent or publisher one of the first questions asked is, “What is
the word count?” As the writer it may not matter, after all, it’s the story
that counts, right? However in publishing it means Money.

It is estimated that
for every 10,000 words over the stated guideline of a publisher, it could
equate to a ten percent increase in publishing costs.

While researching word
counts for my writing projects, I have found the following basic word counts to
be a standard measure in the industry.

Chapter book (6-8 yr.) 5-25,000 words

Middle reader (8-12 yr.) 25-40,000 words

Young adult (12-18 yr.) 40-75,000 words

Novelette 7,500-20,000 words

Novella 20-30,000 words

Short Contemporary 50,000-60,000 words

Long Contemporary 70,000-80,000 words

Short Historical/
Mainstream 90,000-100,000
words

Romance novel 90,000-100,000 words

Long
Historical/Mainstream 108,000-120,000

Remember, these are
averages and the submission guidelines for your particular agent or publisher
should be the final say.